Mulled Wine – with a Ginger and Scotch twist

Every winter, there comes a certain point when I start craving the warming comforts of hot chocolate and mulled wine.

I have this vague memory of being outdoors in a cold blustery place, possibly waiting on some line or queue – for what, I cannot remember. I do remember ordering hot chocolate from a street stall to stay warm and then someone that I might have known, or it could have been a complete stranger, pulled out a flask of Jägermeister and splashed some into my hot cocoa. I liked it so much that I often think that plain hot chocolate is incomplete without a shot of Jäger. That recipe is simple: take a cup of your favorite hot chocolate and just add a little (or a lot) of Jägermeister.

As for mulled wine, I have tried to remember the first time that I ever tasted it but I can’t seem to bring back any memories prior to the one from Dubai at my friend Billie Mac’s apartment where someone was sticking cloves into an orange before tossing it into a pot of sugar and spices. It baffles me that I’ve never had mulled wine during the cold winters I’ve spent in New York, Chicago, and Edinburgh nor in any of my ski vacations – places where mulled wine would have been more appropriate than the desert climes of Dubai.

This holiday season, I’ve enjoyed making and drinking this warm, spicy and sweet concoction with different combinations of spices, wines, fruits, and liquors. For the red wine, choose anything you would normally enjoy drinking but don’t use expensive bottles (save those for drinking unadulterated). I’ve tried Merlot, Shiraz, and Cabernet and all have worked deliciously well.

My latest combination included a small piece of ginger steeped in the spice mixture and a tiny splash of Scotch Whisky at the end. I don’t normally use an expensive Whisky like Springbank 10 but that’s all that was in our house this week and it’s Christmas so why not indulge a little?

Mulled wine is awesome. The idea for the Ginger is great. Scotch – why not [wouldn’t be my first guess] – however please don’t use Springbank. A good blend will do as good [and you can’t get the differences anyway, between the spices, the wine, the sugar and the hot].
If I would have only Springbank at home, I still would drink it separate…